Choosing Christmas gifts isn’t exactly an easy job. To get your gift right, you must know at least a little bit about the person you’re going to surprise. But what if that person is no longer who they used to be? 

Sadly, Alzheimer’s disease results in a change of course in sufferers’ lives. This common form of dementia gradually destroys brain cells, causing irreversible memory loss that might require the assistance of a caregiver. Although the symptoms of Alzheimer’s aren’t curable, certain medications can help control patients’ behaviors in mild to moderate stages. 

If you’re unsure about what to give a beloved family member with Alzheimer’s this holiday season, read on to find the best gift ideas, regardless of the stage he or she finds themselves in. 

Early-stage Alzheimer’s gifts

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, patients have milder symptoms. These include agitation, losing track of time, misplacement of belongings, and having difficulty in completing familiar tasks. In this case, gifts that can stimulate your loved one’s memory while also being a source of enjoyment are great options. Here are a few alternatives to get you started.

Jigsaw puzzles

Puzzles aren’t only challenging and fun, but they help boost short-term memory, as well. Studies have suggested that puzzles and memory games decrease the damage that naturally happens in the brain of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. 

A memory box

It’s hard to accept that your loved one’s memory will eventually fade. Since it might take a long time before that happens, create a special memory box filled with items of sentimental value. This way, the person you’ll give it to can remember special moments without much effort. 

Adult coloring books

A set of crayons and a coloring book can be the ideal gift. Why? Because coloring is a great activity to improve manual dexterity in seniors. It’s also an easy game they can play with their grandkids anytime. 

An iPod

Some songs can be nostalgic. Giving them an iPod with their favorite songs downloaded will probably be the best gift they’ve ever received. It doesn’t have to be pricey, either: websites like TheStore sell tech (new and restored) for up to 70 percent off. Enjoy!

Late-stage Alzheimer’s gifts

In later stages, there’s not a lot that family members can do but offer their support and get used to advanced symptoms that require 24/7 care. The elderly need companionship and affection more than ever, and the following gift ideas will help you show some love. 

A self-care day
A spa day is always a good idea. The ladies will love a professional manicure or pedicure, whereas the men could enjoy a foot massage with lotions. Base yourself off their preferences and get creative with this one. 

Lap robes in their favorite color

Late patients tend to become wheelchair-bound. Make their day by giving them a lap robe in their favorite color, or even better, crochet or customize it yourself for a unique present. 

Comfortable wear

A warm sweater, fluffy slippers, and winter hats; when it comes to being comfy, there are so many options to choose from. We’re sure any of the above would make anyone’s cold day better. 

Baby dolls or stuffed animals

No one can resist a cute furry animal or a cozy baby doll. After all, they’re comforting and can be an adorable company, especially during the night. A quick tip: make it a surprise. They’ll love it even more!

A locket necklace

Even though your loved one may forget your name or your face, they can keep your picture close to their heart with a locket necklace. This ornament is a beautiful, sentimental gift that can last for generations to come. Be certain that the memories you put in it will never fade away. 

Passion is a powerful thing. It can become a lucrative career or a wonderful hobby that improves your mental health. But not everyone has a passion—or, perhaps more accurately, not everyone knows what their passion is. If you’re in search of something that moves you, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few ways to embrace your inner creative. 

It might be right in front of you! 

A funny thing happens to people sometimes: They worry that they have no direction in life, and then they take solace in their passions without even realizing that they have them. Maybe it’s an office worker coming home from a long day and breaking out paints and an easel to relax. Maybe it’s a full-time janitor and part-time musician who doesn’t realize how talented they really are. Before you assume that you need to “find” your passion, you should check to see if it’s right in front of you!

Think about how you spend your time, and think about what brings you joy. Think about the things that you wish you had more time for. One of them might be the thing that you were put on this Earth to do.

Start thinking and reading up on your interests. 

If an obvious passion doesn’t come to you right away, don’t fret. Instead, just start thinking. What do you like to read about? Maybe that’s your passion. If you don’t know what you like to read about, maybe you should head to the library and find out! Consider movies and podcasts, too. What interests you? Keep brainstorming, take notes, and indulge yourself: Just think, without putting pressure on yourself, and come up with a big list of ideas. They don’t have to all make sense! As you read, research, and think, you’ll likely start seeing connections.

Know when it’s a job—and when it’s not.

To paraphrase the old saying, a person who knows what they love to do never has to work a day in their life. All they have to do is turn their passion into a lucrative career. Right?

Well, sort of. But it’s important to remember a few things. For one, your job doesn’t have to be your passion; it may only make use of it. For instance, someone who loves tinkering with cars and gadgets may become an expert in forklift engine maintenance, filling a much-needed role that maybe people don’t even think about. And, of course, a passion for debate can turn a person on to politics or law, and a love of science can lead to careers in medicine, research, and so much more. Don’t assume that everyone who gets their “dream job” is doing nothing but wonderful stuff. Doctors deal with logs and paperwork, for instance—a job is still a job, even if there are parts of it that you love!

Some passions can be “side-hustles” instead of full-time jobs. If you’re a talented painter, for instance, you might want to start selling your work on Etsy—but that doesn’t mean that you have to quit your day job. Sometimes, it’s nice to have the freedom to choose when and when not to indulge in your passion. If you make your passion your main source of income, then you might be surprised to find it transformed into a dreary obligation.

It’s also important to remember that some passions are better suited to being hobbies. Just ask acclaimed lawyer and mineral enthusiast Howard Fensterman. Fensterman is incredibly passionate about minerals and gemstones, and he knows an impressive amount about them. He maintains a blog on the subject and is active within the collecting community. But Howard Fensterman does not consider his mineral obsession a job—he already has one of those, thanks to his successful career as an attorney. For Howard Fensterman, this all works out splendidly. In this case, we’re looking at a passion that is best expressed as a hobby.

It’s vital to remember that passion is just that—passion. It’s something that you care about and something that brings you joy. If you find that your passion is building things out of tongue depressors, then you shouldn’t feel pressure to somehow turn that into a career. You shouldn’t even feel pressure to put your work on Etsy. Just have fun, and nurture your passion. You’ll be happier and healthier if you do.

When you set up a call center, you streamline the process for your team to achieve goals. A great set up starts with considering how many employees you’ll need and setting concrete objectives for your call center. 

Once those are established, you’ll want to make sure the call center equipment you use is right for your needs. Here are some tips for getting your new system running. 

Find Practical Computers

Call center operations use sophisticated software to enhance the customer experience and ensure that all calls are routed to the right agent for minimum frustration and maximum efficiency. The desktop computer is the basic element undergirding the whole operation. Even when using cloud-based call center software, agents need a way to access it.

Locate your nearest uBreakiFix location so any computer issues can be fixed the right way the first time, and with minimal downtime. As you buy, choose desktops over laptops. While some laptops are cheaper, there are good reasons to prefer desktops: 

• Faster processing speeds at a lower cost than equivalent speeds on a laptop
• More storage space
• More connections for working with headsets, microphones or any other add-ons
• Greater safety for your investment, as a larger size, makes them harder to steal and less likely to be moved and dropped

Use Efficient Headsets

Your personnel needs quality headsets. The traditional phone simply won’t do the job, and a poor quality headset will result in frustrated customers (and agents). Agents will have difficulty hearing the customer over the noise of the call center, and customers will have trouble making out the agent if the headsets aren’t equipped with a quality microphone.

While choosing a headset is always a balance of cost and quality, good headsets have a few things in common:

• They are wired since wireless headsets have to be recharged and cost more for equivalent quality
• They are comfortable so that agents are not tempted to remove them frequently
• They offer noise reduction technology that enables agents to hear customers clearly
• They have a reputation for quality, so you don’t have to replace them in just a few months
• They have USB connections for the best sound quality and voice clarity

Select User-Friendly Software 

The software you choose for your call center should improve quality and speed. Good software gets your agents, customers and business goals all on the same page and reduces handling times, callbacks, and transfers. The right software will also offer you a high degree of functionality without the need to invest in extensive on-premises infrastructure.

There are many types of cloud-based call center software available, but not all are created equal. Here’s what to look for:

• Omnichannel integration so you can communicate with your customers seamlessly across channels
• Call center quality management so you can observe, measure, and evaluate how the call center is performing
• Consistent, reliable uptime with 24/7 customer support
• Scalability so your call center can respond flexibly to your business needs
• Predictive dialers with CRM integrations and customizable workflow

Settle In With Comfortable Equipment

Call centers have an unpleasant reputation for high turnover among agents. Every time an agent leaves, you have to find a new one, retrain them, and accept slower speeds and lowered efficiency for a while as the new agent learns the ropes. One simple way of retaining your call center agents is by making them comfortable.

You may choose to make agents comfortable by hiring them to work from home, but if you have them come to your facility, here are some things to consider getting:

• Chairs comfortable enough to sit in for hours at a time
• Desks designs and computer mice that minimize repetitive stress injury
• Lighting that is comfortable rather than glaring
• Blue light filters for computer screens to minimize headaches and eyestrain
• A break room where agents can decompress

The public has always been intrigued by a good story about the tainted history of the prison system. The subject of Alcatraz or “The Rock” has become a movie of the same name and a tourist destination of the coats of San Francisco. Digging deep and spending the time it uncovers facts make for a better, and more researched paper. 

Showing you went the extra mile to gather and investigate the information can be the difference between an A or the dreaded words scribbled in red at the top reading, “See me after class.” Here are some tips to write the best historical paper that will impress even the toughest of college professors.

A Good Beginning

Just like your favorite novel, a good beginning to a paper catches your professor’s interest. It doesn’t matter the subject when it comes to comprehension and the use of well-organized thoughts. A paper that jumps from topic to topic isn’t going to fare well in a college course. Be sure to capture the intrigue of the reader (in this case, your professor) but without being too dramatic. You want it to be interesting but not the next best selling fiction novel. 

It needs to be well written and in your own words. Plagiarism is a serious and illegal issue. Your professor has heard it all too. There are programs are designed to check your work. If you need to reference someone or their work, make sure it’s accurate to utilize proper use of quotations if needed. 

Research Your Subject

Research papers should consist of more than hours of staring at your computer screen. If possible, contact (or if you reside nearby) take a trip where the action existed. When writing a paper about, for example, former inmates and life in prison, you may want to speak to the person themselves or the staff. As long as you’re permitted, sitting down and getting a first-hand experience helps create a better, well-researched paper. 

Diving into the history of a well known former inmate through books, newspapers, and online sites may give you a plethora of information. However, if the guards or free former inmates (or the person themselves) doesn’t mind talking, it’s a good opportunity to absorb a wealth of information. Basic details include early family life, what happened before, during, and after jail, the trial, and the crimes themselves.

Don’t Be Afraid to Dig Deep

Historical papers about deceased prisoners may prove difficult if you’re unsure of where to look. Local libraries can assist you in pulling up old newspaper clippings, microfiche, and if famous enough, a documentary. Taking a looking into public death records can list the former addresses and the current one, including family members of the deceased. When contacting family members, remember to be courteous and be prepared to be ignored. 

Many relatives may have chosen to place that part of their lives behind them, leaving you to piece other the information you already obtained. Government websites can have data such as arrest date (or dates) reasons, for arrests, and trial information. During your quest to find information, attempting to find former cellmates or correspondence can encourage you to be more accurate during your search. Include factual information from the mouth of the inmate’s family to help solidify your historical research. Don’t overlook the library and historical videos and local museums that may have their own websites (or better yet, tours to take!). You may be able to contact amateur historians who’d be more than happy to share what they’ve found. Just be sure to always fact check the information, even if it seems legitimate. Being objective can be difficult, however, it’s essential when writing a paper with historical value.

The word recycling for most people conjures up images of newspapers, soda cans, milk cartons, shopping bags, water bottles and other common household items. In a world that is leaning more and more towards recycling so that residents of this planet can do their part to save the earth, recycling these common items has become a necessity for many, not something they do if, and when they feel like it. 

However, did you know that everything from carbide bushings to crayons can be recycled as well? 

There are many reasons that you should recycle, but if you already do and want to do more to reduce your carbon footprint on the planet, then read on below for a few of the strangest things you can and should be recycling today.

Used Cooking Oil

While the idea of recycling your used cooking oil collection may seem a little strange, it is one of the top items on this list. Think about it, you don’t want a bunch of cooking oil sitting around your kitchen, as it is a dangerous fire hazard, and you don’t want to toss it in the trash can to leak everywhere, so what do you do with it? Recycle is the answer! 

Sports Equipment

Thinking about tossing those old tennis balls, your yoga mat, or even your kid’s old baseball glove? There are quite a few places and sites out there that will accept your used sports equipment and put it to good use, so that it’s not filling up the landfills and destroying the planet. 

Artificial Christmas Trees

At the end of the holiday season last year was your artificial Christmas tree a little worse for wear? If you intend on buying a brand new tree this upcoming holiday season, you’re probably wondering just what you can do with the old one. You don’t want it cluttering up a corner in the garage or taking up space in the attic do you? Luckily, you can recycle that old tree since there are programs in different areas of the country that will take it off your hands. 

Bike Tools and Gear

There are quite a few places and sites out there that accept old bike tools and gear for recycling. Some of the things that are accepted include bike frames, worn tire tubes, bike tools, helmets, bags, bike pumps and more. One of these sites takes these tools and gear and recycles them to deliver to poor economic climates such as the Carribean, Africa, and parts of South America.

Toothbrushes 

Did you know that every old toothbrush you’ve thrown away over your entire life is still here on this earth? Since it takes centuries for a piece of plastic to decompose, it’s not hard to believe since toothbrushes are made of plastic. There are sites now, who partner with toothpaste companies that accept the recycling of old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and even floss, since they come in plastic as well. So, save up those oral care products and reduce your carbon footprint on the earth by recycling them. 

Holiday Lights

As the Christmas season approaches more than one person will plug in a string of holiday lights only to find half of them don’t work. Not only does this mean a trip to the store for more lights, it also means you have to find something to do with the old string. Never fear, there are places that will let you recycle them as well, and many will give you a discount on a new string through them as well. 

These are just a few of the strangest things out there that can be recycled you might not have known about. Do the right thing and start recycling these things as well. 

Careers in science are wide-ranging